U.S. Army to Deploy Over 1,000 Switchblade 600 Drones Under Replicator Program

 The U.S. Army plans to deploy more than 1,000 Switchblade 600 drones over the next year as part of the Replicator initiative. This program, spearheaded by the Pentagon, aims to field thousands of uncrewed systems. General James Mingus, the Army’s vice chief of staff, disclosed this quantity during a House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing on June 21 at the Defense Innovation Unit’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Manufactured by AeroVironment, the Switchblade 600 loitering munition is among the initial systems the Defense Department will procure through the first tranche of the Replicator program. It is the only system officials have identified by name so far. Other systems include an unspecified fleet of maritime drones, uncrewed surface vehicles, and counter-drone systems.

Replicator, announced by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks last August, has two main objectives. In the short term, the Pentagon aims to deploy large numbers of expendable drones to counter China. The larger goal is to establish a sustainable process for acquiring technology to meet the department’s urgent operational needs.

The Pentagon plans to allocate $1 billion to the Replicator effort during fiscal years 2024 and 2025, with funds sourced from prior year appropriations, a reprogramming request, a national security supplemental approved in August, and the department’s yet-to-be-approved FY-25 budget proposal.

Switchblade drones have seen significant use on battlefields in Russia, Syria, and Iraq. The Army initially intended to procure the system through its Low Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance program in smaller quantities. In October, the Army announced plans to purchase 100 Switchblade drones for testing and deployment within its units.

General Mingus highlighted the collaboration behind this innovation during the hearing, noting that the Switchblade was included as part of Replicator Tranche One and will now be scaled up to over 1,000 units in the coming year.

Deputy Defense Secretary Hicks announced last month that the department began fielding Replicator systems to Indo-Pacific Command in early May. However, the Pentagon has not disclosed the specific systems or quantities fielded.

“This demonstrates that warfighter-centric innovation is not only feasible but is also yielding tangible results,” Hicks stated. “As we deploy these systems, our comprehensive capability development process continues.”